Safe hinge



June 28, 1932. c. F. woL'rERs SAFE HINGE Filed Feb. 17. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l albumi;

June 28, 1932. c. F. woL'rERs SAFE HINGE Filed Feb. 17. 1951 2 sheets-sheet 2 gagn Swix/nto@ cm F. mowers, m4 @mv-Mw?.

Patented June 2s, 1932 f UNITED. STATES PATENT oai-lcs cm1. r. Womans, or numana. omo, Assmivoa 'ro anu-moron num INC., or'

Bumm, NEW Yonx SAFE HINGE Application led February 17, 1981. Serial No.' 516,401.

This invention relates to improvements in safes and cabinets, and particularly to 1mprovements in the hinge structure for mountlng the doors.

An object of the invention is to improve the construction and appearance of safes and cabinets by providing a special hinge structure for mounting the doors forming a continuous hinge having parts cooperatlng to mount the safe doors or free swinging movement and to retain the hinge parts in assembled relation.

Another object of the present invention is to improve this arrangement byproviding a hinge structure for a safe, cabinet, or any type of door structure which will be continuous and unbroken in appearance for the entire length of the door or swinging member. This is accomplished by connecting the usual cylindrical hinge ortions of the separated hlnges with a spaclng tube which is retained in 4position by the hinge pins themselves. This arrangement not only improves the appearance of the safe or cabinet but by a special cooperative structure securely locks all of the hinge pins, exceptthat of the-topmost hinge, against unauthorized or accidental removal. By this arrangement, when the topmost hinge in is locked against re- 80 moval by any suita le means, all of the remaining hinge pins in the. series are securely locked against removal.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a very simple construction for'the` connections .between the hinge pins and the connecting tubes, which will enable economical production thereof, and also permit ease in assembling with a safe or other like device.

Other features of this invention are more specifically set forth and shown inthe following description and in the drawings. In the drawings 4.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet provided with the hinge connecting structure of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross section through the center of one of the hinges shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3' is a partial front elevation of the 50 cabinet with portions progressively broken away to show the structure.

Fig 4 is a perspective view of the hin e pm bearings, and connecting tube in partia ly disassembled relation.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section through a portion of the hinge showing the bearing arrangement.

hing-e I and mounting In the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the stationary portion or body of a cabinet. The bod 1 is shown as being of the usual insulate type having a core 2 of insulation material and a finishing shell 3 of sheet metal which covers the core 2 and extends around the front edge of the core to'form 'a door jamb 4. A reinforcing angle 5 is provided immediately within the steel shell at the front corners of the cabinet, and is formed with a series of spaced narrow slots 6. A series of similar slots are provided in the shell 3 in registryl with the slots 6 in the reinforcing an le. The spaced recesses thus formed provi e a mounting for the hinge sections 7, each' hinge sectionhaving a plate portion 8 inserted within a recess and welded or otherwise secured to a side of the angle member 5. A

`portion 15. This portion is rectangular in shape and extends for the entire height of the door. A plurality of hinge sections 16 are secured by their rectangular connecting portions 17 to the inner face of the extension 15 of the mounting plate. These members are spaced from each other and are each provided with a plurality of spaced tubular hinge knuckles 17 which upon assembly of the door with the cabinet are adapted to mesh v with ,the knuckles 9 thereof.

In assembly, the doors are fitted to theirv respective sides of the cabinet by intertting the hinge bearings of the cabirwtgvith the hinge knuckles of the door. As shown in Fig. 3, the knuckles of the cabinet hinge plates receive the knuckles of the door hinge plate. Anti-friction devices, such as the thrust bearings 19, may be interposed between the pivot bearin s of the cabmet hinge late and the pivot earings of the door inge plate.

Each hinge assembly, as above described, is 1 secured by a suitable connecting member such as a hin e pin having a cyllndrical shank portion l inserted through the knuckles and ball bearin s thereof. The in 2O isprovided with an enlarged head portlon 22 notched at 15 its upper extremity to form a portion A21 of reduced diameter. The hinge pins are assembled with the hinges in progressive fashion, that is, the lower hinge pin is inserted first, then a cylindrical tube 23 of an inside diam- 29 eter substantially equal to the reduced portion 21 of the hinge pin is mounted on the reduced portion 21 of the lowermost pin head. The other extremity of the tube is fitted with a spacing washer 24, which lies on top of such 2Q tube end and is provided with a reduced portion 25, pressed within the tube. It will be obvious that the washer 24 may be substituted for in a number of manners including utilizing portions of the tube itself to form the orifice 26. On this basis the tube and washer is considered as a s acing unit. The spacing washer is provide with an orifice 26 adapted to receive the protruding portion 21 of a hinge pin. The tube, to ether with its'accompanying washer 24,1s p aced on reduced portion 21 of the lower hingevpin and is in an angular position relative to the side of the cabinet, upon which it is swung into place with the washer abutting the bottom of the next succeeding hinge. The angular position is shown at A in Fi Sufficient clearance is provided between t e washer and the binge to allow for this swinging movement and assembl The top end of the tube 23 is then locke against removal by the protruding portion 2l of the'hinge pin of the next succeeding hinge which extends through the 'underlyinspacing washer 24. In this manner, the tu e assembly is secured against removal from the hinges by the hinge pins of two adjacent hinges, and the tube assemf1y secures, in turn, the lower of the hinge pins against removal against the direction of its insertion. The upper hin e pin in such assembly cooperates with the tu e y locking the top end against removal to prevent swinging movement thereof in the manner of its assembly. This method of assembly is progressively continued to the topmost hin e during which each succeeding hinge pin loc the tube assembly of the underlying unit. The topmost hinge pin thus indirectly cony trols access to the locking means of all the underlying hinge pins. It will be apparent 55 that if the top pin is locked against removal,

all of the hinge pins on that side of the safe will be likewise locked. With this purpose in mind, any type of lock or removable abutment device may be utilized to prevent removal of the top hinge pin. It is preferred to utilize the cover or top portion 28 of the cabinet for this purpose. This cover portion in usual construction is secured to the to `of the cabinet from within and is provide with a ledge 29 extending beyond the body of the cabinet. The ledge 29 immediately overlies and abuts the top of the up ermost hinge pin and when secured, retains t e same against removal.

In the above description it is not intended to limit the features ofthe invention to the 8( specific structure set forth as it will be obvi- `ous that the principle of continuous hinge structure shown may not only be varied 1n structural detail but 'may be utilized with types of hinges other than for cabinet use.

What is claimed is:

1. In a hinge construction, a stationary member and a swinging member, a series of spaced hinges connectmg said members, a hin e pin in each hinge, said hinge pins each having a shank portion extending through its hinge and a head portion abutting one side of its hinge, tube means extending between adjacent hinges and havingrv one extremity removably engaged on the head of a hinge pin of one hinge and its other extremity abutting an adjacent hinge, and means for retaining said last-named extremity in engagement with said adjacent hinpge.

2. In a hinge construction, a stationary member and a swinging member, a series of spaced hinges connecting said members, a hinge pin in each hinge, said hinge pins each having a shank portion extending through its hinge and a head portion abutting 105 one side of its hinge, tube means extending between adjacent hinges and having one extremity removably engaged on the head of a hinge pin of one hinge and its other extremity abutting an adjacent hin e, and means on said last-named extremity o said tube means for receiving a protruding portion of the shank of the hinge pin of the adjacent hinge whereby said tube means is locked against removal at both extremities.

3. In a hinge construction, a stationary member and a swin ing member, a series of spaced hinges inclu 'ng a to hinge, an intermediate hinge and a bottom inge connecting said members, a hinge pin in each hinge, each hinge in having a shank portion extending throng its hinge and a head portion abutting one side of its hinge, a tube having one extremity mounted on the head of the hinge pin of the bottom hinge and the other extremity abutting portions of the intermediate hinge and retained a ainst removal b a protruding portion of theiinge pin thereo similar tube means having one extremity mounted on the head of the hinge pinof the 130 intermediate hinge and the other extremity abutting portions of the top hinge and retained against removal by a protruding portion of the hinge pin thereof, and means on said stationary member abutting the head of the hin e pin of said top hinge to prevent removal t ereof.

, 4. In a hinge construction, a stationary member and a swinging member, a plurality lo of spaced hinges each connecting the stationary member to the swinging member, a hinge pin in each hinge, each hi e pin having a shank portion extending t rough its hinge and a head portion abutting one side u of its hinge and having a reduced portion, a tube extending between adjacent hinges and having one extremity engaging over the reduced portion of one hinge pin, a washer secured to the o posite extremity of said tube and havin a ace portion abutting the next adjacent hinge and a recessed portion for receiving a protruding shank portion of the hinge pin thereof.

5. In a cabinet construction having a door,

a plurality of hinge members on said door and cabinet at spaced intervals havin interconnected portions mounting said oor on said cabinet for hinging movement, said interconnected portions projecting laterally outward from said door and cabinet in an'al alignment, means extending between said laterally extending interconnected rtions and cooperating therewith to provi e a continuous lateral extension from said cabinet sub a stantially coextensive with said door, and cooperating means on said hinge members and said means detachably retaining said means in position.

. 6. In a hinge construction a stationary member and a swinging memebr, a series of spad hinges connecting said members, a hinge pin in each hinge, tube means extendmg between each pair of adjacent hinges in sald series of hinges andengaged by portions 0f the hinge pins thereof, said pins and said tube means being mountable in progressive order relative a hinge at one extremity of said series of hinges, whereby said pins and tube means cooperate for locking interengagement.

i 7. In a hinge construction a stationary member and a swinging member, an upper hinge and a lower hinge connecting said members, a hinge pin removably mounted in each hinge,'removable tube means extending between the hinges and engaging the hinge pipe of the lower hinge a mst removal, and 1n rengagin parts on t e u per 1n and said tubg means for retaiiiing sai tsbe 3 means in position.

CARL F. WOLTERS. 

